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Mystery. Romance. Suspense. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: In the second brilliant, action-packed book in the Charlotte Holmes series, Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are in a chase across Europe to untangle a web of shocking truths about the Holmes and Moriarty families. Jamie and Charlotte are looking for a winter break reprieve in Sussex after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But nothing about their time off is proving simple, including Holmes and Watson's growing feelings for each other. When Charlotte's beloved Uncle Leander goes missing from the Holmes estate�??after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring�??the game is afoot once again, and Charlotte throws herself into a search for answers. So begins a dangerous race through the gritty underground scene in Berlin and glittering art houses in Prague, where Holmes and Watson discover that this complicated case might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other… (more)
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So when Leander goes missing, Watson and Holmes rush off to Europe to try to find what has happened to him. On the way, they encounter August Moriarty, Charlotte’s own first crush who broke her heart. He is supposed to be dead but, in reality, has been hiding out from his larcenous and vicious family with the help of Charlotte’s brother. As they search for Leander, Watson and Holmes have their own encounters with his family drawing them into several very dangerous situations.
The Last of August is the second in the Charlotte Holmes YA series by author Brittany Cavallaro. The story is narrated by Watson who seems a reliable narrator with the occasional interjection from Charlotte who seems somewhat less reliable. But they are both interesting and complex characters that are easy to like and empathize with despite or perhaps because of their flaws, especially in the case of Charlotte. Full of twists and turns and all-round mayhem, it is a whole lot of fun. It is a bit slower than the first book, A Study and Charlotte, but just as compelling and, dare I say, addicting.
Thanks to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
They begin spending the Christmas break with their families back in England but after Charlotte’s uncle disappears abruptly, Jamie and
I was instantly caught up in the story, but thought the ending was a bit too bleak and unsatisfying. I suspect this is second-in-a-trilogy syndrome: the story wants to leave enough loose ends for the next book. Which I’ll be reading, because I want to know what happens next, but for now, I’m left feeling a bit blank.
The Last of August is mostly from Jamie’s perspective, with a few chapters from Charlotte’s.
I disliked it when the term “fairy-tale” was bandied about. Most often it was used to men “whimsical”. This is inaccurate. In fairy tales, the forest swallows you up like a dinner. Your parents wrap you in a cloak and set you loose in the dark. Everything happens in threes, and only the oldest child survives. As a younger sister, I particularly resented that last implication.
Jamie and Charlotte are spending Christmas break together but don’t have their usual banter because something is “off.” Upon arriving at Charlotte’s house, one realizes why Charlotte is the way she is. The Holmes family is not one you’d want to belong. Leander, Charlotte’s uncle and Jamie’s father’s best friend, appears to be different. He seems somewhat like a normal person. Unfortunately, when he goes missing, another case is in Jamie and Charlotte’s lap that may be as dangerous as the first.
The pair end up traveling to Germany where Leander was working on a case against the Moriarty family. The person willing to help them is August Moriarty. His and Charlotte’s relationship is discussed in book one. As they all travel about trying to figure out what’s going on with art forgeries backed by the Moriarty family and looking for Leander, they discover more about themselves, their relationship, and the secrets of both families.
I really enjoy the audio of these books; they are so well performed. I can’t wait to listen to the 3rd book when it becomes available. Charlotte is a very good representation of a Holmes. If you are familiar with the difficulty of knowing and working with a Holmes, you will find these modern YA fanfic novels enjoyable. Also, in line with a good Holmes story, they are fun to read just to see if you can solve the crime with the clues given. If you like a good mystery, have at it! The ending is rather intense, so book three will be darker.
The sad ending is true to the Holmes’ stories and that not all end happily ever after.
What I enjoyed about this novel was that we got to see more of Charlotte’s family, and you really learn how she kind of became the way she is. Or at least you feel bad for her by the end of the novel. Her family dynamic is… well, it’s bad. At the same time, it’s kind of to be expected just based off what we learned about Charlotte in the first book.
The plot was intriguing – Charlotte’s uncle goes missing and there’s an art forgery scam going on (that is linked to the other Moriarty siblings, of course). Right off the bat, after silence from Charlotte and August, Jamie finds himself annoyed with the two of them and sets off on his own with this own disguise to do some investigating. Not too long after, he’s joined by Charlotte and August and the investigation is underway. Throughout the book I feel bad for Jamie, again, because he honestly just wants Charlotte to get with the program about the “them” part of everything, but it keeps getting put off because of all the stuff going on around them… and that their lives are in danger again.
I was kept on my toes the entire book and I wasn’t really able to catch onto what was happening like the first book, so the ending was a big surprise for me and not what I had been expecting at all. As much as I like to figure out the endings myself, I also love those surprise moments.
Overall, yet another good new-generation Holmes and Watson book!
But dear god, in this one they made their relationship WAY harder than it needed to be. There were one or two points where I was so annoyed that I literally could not keep reading, and had to put it
When I thought of winter, I thought of those reasonable New England nights that arrived punctually just after dinner, disappearing into morning blue by the time you’d stretched awake in bed. British winter nights were different. They came on in October with a shotgun and held you
Guess which city has milder winters, Brighton or Boston? This quote highlights two of the issues I had with this book—Jamie is consistently complaining, and he gets things wrong in a way that feels more like sloppy writing and editing than deliberate choices that come from the character. However, my biggest issue with this book is that rape is used as the main obstacle to prevent Jamie and Charlotte from hooking up, which is kind of a cheap way of handling a serious issue.
Two stars, one for August’s poet outfit (topped by a fauxhawk), and another star for Jamie’s fedora.
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Small embossed Watson on the boards under the dustjacket.